Laptop recommendations

[telstarbox]

I'm in the market for a new laptop as I'm currently using a 2010 era Thinkpad (which has great build quality to be fair) so would be interested to hear any recommendations under £1000.

Main uses would be web browsing, a bit of Word and Excel, not gaming. It looks like all Windows laptops now use the USB-C hub / power connections? I've seen the Lenovo Yoga range and I like the idea of the tablet/stylus arrangement but not sure how much I would actually need it.

 

[etr221]

My inclination would be to look for a refurbished one - there are a number of firms such as RapidIt and Bargain Hardware which specialise in these, which can give you a higher standard/spec machine for less than buying new. The one thing to say at this stage is to get one with (or capable of running) Windows 11 (unless you know you won't want it)

 

[telstarbox]

Thank you - any idea if Backmarket are ok as I've seen some deals on there?

 

[pdq]

We bought a laptop from https://www.gcentre.co.uk/ for our son to take to Uni. Very impressed with the price and condition. They give up to 3 yrs warranty at a sensible price. It may not have the latest generation processor, but if you're just browsing and using Office, that doesn't matter at all.

 

[dangie]

This will obviously depend on what you wish to use the laptop for, and which features you need, but have you considered a Chromebook? I replaced my ageing laptop a couple of years ago with a HP Chromebook and have not regretted my choice one bit. Perfect for internet use, and with Google Docs & Google Sheets (Word & Excel) I don’t miss a laptop one bit.

 

[Bevan Price]

Many local computer dealers will build computers to your own specification, often at much lower cost than the "big name" suppliers.

 

[Sun Chariot]

@telstarbox My wife and my elderly parents have all had very good usage out of Asus's Vivobook - the range varies by spec and price. My wife has the 15.6 inch screen (fabulously clear and good colour rendition) and a higher-spec processor than the one in my parents' Vivibook.

They all use Office365, Internet browsing + online shopping. My wife also uses hers for streaming videos and for editing her photos. Even her higher spec version was under £1000.

 

[bangor-toad]

Hi,
For the Toad family I've always gone with refurbished Dell laptops. I've never paid more than £200 for one. Whenever I needed one I'd just search out something of the right specification on ebay and buy it from one of the recyclers who trade there.
It's worked out great for us.

Some of the people I work with aren't quite so comfortable doing that I recommend a local company who do more recent refurbs and who seem to sell unused old stock. That's RefreshedByUs as they're based in Belfast.
(I have nothing to do with the company apart from being an occasional customer)

Cheers,
Mr Toad

 

[najaB]

Many local computer dealers will build computers to your own specification, often at much lower cost than the "big name" suppliers.

Desktops yes, less so with laptops since they are less customisable.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Desktops yes, less so with laptops since they are less customisable.

I agree. A company fairly local - Novatech - pulled out of laptop-bespoke building a few years ago; as costs were outstripping demand for that service.
They now focus solely on buidling desktops.

 

[billh]

A friend's Lenovo , 18months old,has broken one of its hinges and wrecked the screen, virtually writing it off. Actually, the hinge has pulled out of the screen backplate, the screws breaking the inserts out of the plastic. The laptop has been not been heavily used or even travelled far, not dropped or thrown about.
The whole mechanical design is poor and almost guaranteed to fail .The hinges were adjusted too tight during assembly and strained the mountings.It seems to be a common problem. I can't recommend Lenovo

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I would very much recommend, if that is your budget, a MacBook. Such a lovely machine and syncs perfectly with your IPhone if you have one. No moving parts inside either, so they’re likely to be more sturdy than a Windows based one.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I would very much recommend, if that is your budget, a MacBook. Such a lovely machine and syncs perfectly with your IPhone if you have one. No moving parts inside either, so they’re likely to be more sturdy than a Windows based one.

Depends. SSD (solid state) memory, rather than disk, has been standard in mid priced Microsoft OS "personal use" laptops for 15+ years. My first SSD, a Dell XPS, was 2009.
Fans are a main moving part in any laptop; and for those I now see air passed over static, rather than rotating, blades.

 

[najaB]

No moving parts inside either, so they’re likely to be more sturdy than a Windows based one.

No idea what difference you're trying to highlight. The only moving part in some x86 machines might be a fan. Even that is less common these days.

 

[signed]

A used ThinkPad T14s gen 3 with a AMD CPU is probably your best bet, over in France you can find gobs for ~€500

It's extremely sturdy, and will last you ages

 

[telstarbox]

I would very much recommend, if that is your budget, a MacBook. Such a lovely machine and syncs perfectly with your IPhone if you have one. No moving parts inside either, so they’re likely to be more sturdy than a Windows based one.

Absolutely not sorry. Can't get on with the Mac OS interface and my work iPhone is a pain as well.

 

[TheSmiths82]

I usually buy refurbished business grade laptops such as the Lenovo Thinkpad or Dell Latitude. The consumer grade laptops you get from the likes of Curry's are usually not built very well. My desktop is my main machine so I never need the latest specs on a laptop. My last Thinkpad last me for 5 years and I paid £150 for it, although I did replace the hard drive with an SSD and upgraded the RAM. The keyboard died at 9 years old, but replacing it involves removing the motherboard so I just bought a new laptop.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Dec 2024 ==

No idea what difference you're trying to highlight. The only moving part in some x86 machines might be a fan. Even that is less common these days.

Yep very little moving parts, and at least you can repair Windows laptops (at least with Thinkpads etc). The only real moving part of a laptop which was of concern is was the hard drive, and you will find very few laptops with hard drives these days. You could argue the hinges are moving parts too, but Macbooks have them too!

 

[bspahh]

I get a new £2000 laptop every three years for work. I've normally gone for a Lenovo, but I've got a Dell XPS 15 at the moment. Its OK, but I prefer the keyboard on a T series Lenovo.

With my money, if your Thinkpad still does what you need it to do, if its a bit slow, try fitting more memory and an SSD, and if the battery life is poor, you can get a replacement on eBay.

I also have a Chromebook which was a refurbished one for £150 from Laptops Direct. It runs Chrome and Google apps directly, but can also run Linux applications. My mum also has a Chromebook, and it has been great for her. She doesn't have to worry about virus checking, malware scanning, and Windows Updates. It just works.

 

[ClivePage]

I am currently using an ASUS Zenbook 14. It's not a brand I had ever used before, but as a family we've used HP, Samsung, Lenovo, Dell etc and found them all unsatisfactory in various ways. This model got good reviews in various places so I splashed out. I've now had this Zenbook for over a year and have no real complaints: I'd recommend it if the spec and price suit you - there seem to several variants. A few limitations that I knew about in advance: there's only one old-style USB port, and no memory card slot. It has 2 of the USB type C ports, but one is used up whenever you have it plugged in. And like most modern laptops, the battery is not a removable item.

 

[Gloster]

A new set of questions. I have a fifteen year-old laptop that, like me, is slowly able to do less and less. It hasn’t yet reached the point of no return as I can still write texts on it, but that is about all I can do (my e-mail and Internet are on an iPad). When something finally takes it beyond the end of the road, I may get a new one. However, I will only want it to handle texts and to be able to watch DVDs (I have a fair number that were still unwatched when the DVD player function went), but Internet and e-mail would be useful.

Do they still sell laptops with DVD players inbuilt?
The laptop doesn’t leave my desk, but I don’t want a full scale computer set up: for the limited amount of printing that I do I download on to a memory-stick and do it in the library.
I presume that it is possible to have Internet and e-mail access on the laptop. At present I use a separate iPad, but have no way of transferring from one to the other except via the library. (My iPad is now out of contract.)

Please make the explanation simple and at the moment I only want general information. I want to avoid looking a complete idiot as soon as I go into the shop: I will still look like one at some point, but I would like to delay that for a few seconds.

 

[Crithylum]

The issue with a DVD player is that it would (in some of the more extreme examples) double the thickness, and most people appreciate thin laptops. Your probably best off buying a USB DVD player.

A new set of questions. I have a fifteen year-old laptop that, like me, is slowly able to do less and less. It hasn’t yet reached the point of no return as I can still write texts on it, but that is about all I can do (my e-mail and Internet are on an iPad). When something finally takes it beyond the end of the road, I may get a new one. However, I will only want it to handle texts and to be able to watch DVDs (I have a fair number that were still unwatched when the DVD player function went), but Internet and e-mail would be useful.

Do they still sell laptops with DVD players inbuilt?
The laptop doesn’t leave my desk, but I don’t want a full scale computer set up: for the limited amount of printing that I do I download on to a memory-stick and do it in the library.
I presume that it is possible to have Internet and e-mail access on the laptop. At present I use a separate iPad, but have no way of transferring from one to the other except via the library. (My iPad is now out of contract.)

Please make the explanation simple and at the moment I only want general information. I want to avoid looking a complete idiot as soon as I go into the shop: I will still look like one at some point, but I would like to delay that for a few seconds.

Also what do you mean by your iPad being “out of contract”? Is this an iPad with mobile data? You should be able to connect to wifi at home, or use a hotspot from your phone to access the internet.

For the OP, £1000 is way in excess for your needs. I have a 2-1 Lenovo yoga, and find it to not be very useful, as the pen tracking is awful quality, meaning it is near useless, although the touchscreen is occasionally useful. If you don’t need Excel, and Word* (notice capitalisation), I see no need for Windows, and a Chromebook should suffice, and be simpler.

*If you get sent .xlsx and .docx files it is useful to not have to upload and convert them. If you make your own files, Word is more feature rich than Docs, but this is only useful for more advanced stuff. I actually think that Sheets is better than Excel for basic things

 

[bspahh]

Do they still sell laptops with DVD players inbuilt?

The issue with a DVD player is that it would (in some of the more extreme examples) double the thickness, and most people appreciate thin laptops. Your probably best off buying a USB DVD player.

I doubt you will get a brand new laptop with a DVD drive, but you can get a USB DVD drive for £37 from Argos https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9488238 or £12-£15 on eBay

 

[Gloster]

The issue with a DVD player is that it would (in some of the more extreme examples) double the thickness, and most people appreciate thin laptops. Your probably best off buying a USB DVD player.

Also what do you mean by your iPad being “out of contract”? Is this an iPad with mobile data? You should be able to connect to wifi at home, or use a hotspot from your phone to access the internet.

For the OP, £1000 is way in excess for your needs. I have a 2-1 Lenovo yoga, and find it to not be very useful, as the pen tracking is awful quality, meaning it is near useless, although the touchscreen is occasionally useful. If you don’t need Excel, and Word* (notice capitalisation), I see no need for Windows, and a Chromebook should suffice, and be simpler.

*If you get sent .xlsx and .docx files it is useful to not have to upload and convert them. If you make your own files, Word is more feature rich than Docs, but this is only useful for more advanced stuff. I actually think that Sheets is better than Excel for basic things

Most of this is way beyond my ken. I mean that I am on a monthly contract and have paid off the cost of the iPad, so it is mine, all mine, now: I only have to pay for the service, so could change easily. (This may be irrelevant, but I put it in for completeness.)

I doubt you will get a brand new laptop with a DVD drive, but you can get a USB DVD drive for £37 from Argos https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9488238 or £12-£15 on eBay

Presumably I could buy one of these, connect it with standard connectors to a laptop port and then watch DVDs on it. The only downside would be having more stuff to fit on and move around the desk, but that would be a tiny inconvenience. Just make sure that the new laptop and the player are compatible.

 

[Crithylum]

Most of this is way beyond my ken. I mean that I am on a monthly contract and have paid off the cost of the iPad, so it is mine, all mine, now: I only have to pay for the service, so could change easily. (This may be irrelevant, but I put it in for completeness.)



Presumably I could buy one of these, connect it with standard connectors to a laptop port and then watch DVDs on it. The only downside would be having more stuff to fit on and move around the desk, but that would be a tiny inconvenience. Just make sure that the new laptop and the player are compatible.

It appears that Chromebooks have trouble with DVD drives, so I would recommend sticking to Windows if that is important to you.
In terms of laptops, make sure it has a SSD (solid state drive). Also if you are spending more than ~£200 I would try to get at least 8GB of RAM (random access memory, often described as "memory", not to be confused with "storage")

 

[MotCO]

My only issue with Dells (inspiron) is that I have had a number of laptops which have power-in line issues, requiring the replacement of the plug inside the laptop. Not a big deal, but annoying.

A new set of questions. I have a fifteen year-old laptop that, like me, is slowly able to do less and less.

Also, with reference to 15 year old laptops, what Operating System do you use? I have recently had a message that Windows 10 will no longer be supported after October 2025, and am busy updating to Windows 11 (which has failed a couple of times so far).

 

[Non Multi]

A new set of questions. I have a fifteen year-old laptop that, like me, is slowly able to do less and less. It hasn’t yet reached the point of no return as I can still write texts on it, but that is about all I can do (my e-mail and Internet are on an iPad). When something finally takes it beyond the end of the road, I may get a new one. However, I will only want it to handle texts and to be able to watch DVDs (I have a fair number that were still unwatched when the DVD player function went), but Internet and e-mail would be useful.

Do they still sell laptops with DVD players inbuilt?
The laptop doesn’t leave my desk, but I don’t want a full scale computer set up: for the limited amount of printing that I do I download on to a memory-stick and do it in the library.
I presume that it is possible to have Internet and e-mail access on the laptop. At present I use a separate iPad, but have no way of transferring from one to the other except via the library. (My iPad is now out of contract.)

Please make the explanation simple and at the moment I only want general information. I want to avoid looking a complete idiot as soon as I go into the shop: I will still look like one at some point, but I would like to delay that for a few seconds.

You can get keyboards for iPads such as the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad or an equivalent from Logitech. Likewise you can use an external flash memory drive with an iPad.

There's plenty of old Panasonic portable DVD players on eBay. Just make sure it's sold as fully working and has it's power adapter and remote control. If the screens on those are a bit too small, I'm sure you could pick up an old Windows laptop with a working DVD drive just to play DVDs for not that much money.

 

[Gloster]

Also, with reference to 15 year old laptops, what Operating System do you use? I have recently had a message that Windows 10 will no longer be supported after October 2025, and am busy updating to Windows 11 (which has failed a couple of times so far).

I don’t think that this matters as the laptop is not connected to anything except the power source: any texts that I send are downloaded on to a memory stick and sent from the local library (although this is more complicated now as they have upgraded their security incantations). All internet use takes place on the iPad.

 

[Mogster]

I’d question if a laptop is the best solution. If the PC doesn’t need to be mobile then I’d look at a desktop. If mobile is important then would a tablet be better?

Desktops are cheaper for the same performance, typically have loads of ports, are repairable. If you want say, a DVD player, then you can add one.

Even building your own desktop from scratch isn’t very hard. Once you’ve build it you know how it works so can repair and upgrade it yourself. You can build a system to your particular needs.

 

[dgl]

Laptop wise for your use case I would just pick any machine from a well known brand with at least an intel i3 processor, decent sized SSD and at least 8gb RAM.
£400 should get you something usable from the likes of Curry's, Argos, eBuyer Etc. if you want something brand new.

 

[etr221]

My only issue with Dells (inspiron) is that I have had a number of laptops which have power-in line issues, requiring the replacement of the plug inside the laptop. Not a big deal, but annoying.




Also, with reference to 15 year old laptops, what Operating System do you use? I have recently had a message that Windows 10 will no longer be supported after October 2025, and am busy updating to Windows 11 (which has failed a couple of times so far).

As an alternative to an upgrade to Windows 11 (unlikely to be possible for old machines), I would suggest looking at a Linux variant (I use Linux Mint, there are many others, several having low hardware requirements). For the OPs requirements (web browsing, bit of word processing & spreadsheets) will be adequate: it will (or can) have alternative software to do all that they require. But the downside is that it is different - Linux isn't Windows, it just does the same things - it's a matter of how far they're prepared to push their comfort zone.